Review: Red Dead Redemption 2

Review: Red Dead Redemption 2 – Rockstar Games is one of the most popular developers in the world, but five years have passed since the release of their last game. In the meantime, they mostly worked on the content of GTA Online and on this game, Red Dead Redemption 2. We have been waiting for a long time, but we are almost there. We were able to play the game intensely and we had a pretty interesting week behind us. What do we think? This is what you read in this article.

The Failure of Robbery

Before delving into the juicy details, it's important to know what Red Dead Redemption 2 consists of. The game is a prologue to the first part, so it takes a few years for John Marston's story in Red Dead Redemption, which took place in 1911. This prologue begins in 1899 and tells the story of the Van der Linde-gang. This group is led by dutch Dutch van der Linde and has among its members Arthur Morgan – the protagonist of this game – and John Marston, whom you already know in the previous part.

The story of the game begins in the present moment. that the gang must flee because of a robbery that ultimately failed. We do not see this flight, but it is clear that it has had a considerable impact on the group. Nevertheless, the interpretation of what exactly went wrong remains a little obscure and is mainly the subject of discussion. To get rid of the bounty hunters and the sheriff after this failure, you must have money.

The Van der Linde gang will therefore lead a difficult life during the adventure in order to survive and earn enough money. to be able to flee. So you will basically follow the same path as the last, which eventually led to misery, but now you can restore the mistakes of that time. You can guess that your fire is difficult to fight with fire, so get ready for a special story full of setbacks and memorable moments, with good or less good choices.

Arthur Morgan

The protagonist of Red Dead Redemption 2 is known as Arthur Morgan. This seasoned bandit is a personality in itself. He is extremely loyal to the gang, which he has been part of since childhood. Loyalty is very important to him, even if it is tested several times during the game. As the game progresses, you will notice that Rockstar has chosen a character similar to John Marston in this adventure. In fact, both also seem to be able to find each other. Both are friendly bandits who perform a flight with a moral conscience. The search for a better life is something that both occupy and which, of course, creates a connection.

The foundations on which Arthur Morgan grew up were mainly posed by the gang leader, Dutch van der Linde. He taught Arthur the necessary norms and values, such as not killing someone and not robbing the poor. Arthur thinks it's especially important that he earns money on the backs of the rich and that ordinary people are protected. However, these norms and values ​​fade as the story unfolds and it is not so much because Arthur wants it. As a player, you meet regularly and you must make choices that expose you to heart-rending dilemmas. the first part. You are no longer a "lonewolf" because you work with a fairly large group of people. This ensures that many characters pass and that not everyone will be explored as long as the first part is the same. It's up to you to create a link with your favorite characters and thankfully, the game offers many opportunities. The further you go in the game, the better the link will be with some people, but it takes a while before it happens. The establishment of relationships in Red Dead Redemption 2 is done on a regular basis and requires a lot of patience, as in real life.

This can be considered a disadvantage because you do not get to know anyone around you. In fact, we also sometimes had to ask who exactly was part of the gang, because at first you're thrown quite quickly into the depths. It is highly likely that after the introduction of the game you will be overwhelmed by the number of people who reside there and by what you can do. The game leaves the player pretty free and you will not be taken anywhere in a proposal round.

You are a member of a gang that has existed for a long time and to which you are faithful and faithful since your childhood. . The number of members is a little high and chances are you will lose a bit of a view. So, be sure to keep your attention. What is also useful is to engage with camp members without being on mission; In this way, you will get more information about the gang, which will give more depth. Rockstar leaves the player completely free and therefore it is up to you to explore it further and better understand your relationships. Freedom is the red thread of Red Dead Redemption 2 that you will see throughout the game.

Choices

The choices you make influence your "right". false meter. In the game, you have a bar with one hand the very good and the other the very wrong. You determine as a player in the game what bandit you are and want to be. For example, let's take the "debt collector" missions, in which you have to get loans from the defaulters to get a loan. If you hit someone, such a situation – like many others – can go both ways. Or, you show respect for the person who refunded you, or you press a revolver after the payment because the person has bothered you when handing over the money.

The same goes for helping people on the road, in the open. The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 is full of NPCs who all have their own problems or needs. For example, you regularly meet a person bitten by a snake and then you can choose to help him or not. However, be equally vigilant, because it may happen that someone who asks you for help has very different projects. Fortunately, the revolver of your case is always nearby and you often know how to get out of it.

If you choose to hang out the kind Arthur Morgan, you will see that it often brings the necessary benefits. People approach you more friendly and this good reputation will often be rewarded. However, if you are a dreaded bandit among people and people are scared when they see a ghost that resembles Arthur Morgan, it brings other benefits. For example, you force something faster when you threaten someone and people think twice before trying to steal you. In short, your actions have consequences for the way the world looks at you and treats you.

Revolutionary Open World

Red Dead Redemption 2 is more than a new role in Red Dead. -franchise. It's a look into the future and a game that opens the next chapter of the open world games. Rockstar has always been the world's leader in creating open-world games – something that has already been proven many times. We are very happy to announce that they have managed again with Red Dead Redemption 2. This is already quite a decent feat, because in recent years, the games of the open world have multiplied. The world of Red Dead Redemption 2 stands out however, upside down and many factors are at stake.

You have the interactions in the world itself, the fact that there are wild animals that are walk, strangely detailed climate, light, graphic performance; it's actually too much to mention. It is the whole that guarantees that the whole will amaze you. Take for example the different climates and types of weather in this game. They are displayed so precisely and in a way that we have never seen before. Now, the different weather is not really unique, but in this game, you really feel like you're living and it's really new. When it's morning, you'll see it very well. The birds begin to sing and you see them fluttering everywhere. There may also be fog and the grass is wet again and there are so many specific situations that we have never seen in other games.

In addition, the world is so varied that nothing is missing. There are mountains full of snow, you have swamps in the Bayou, a desert climate in New Elizabeth and the rainy and really Dutch weather in New Hanover. Each part of the map has its own characteristics, which are also reflected in the animals that walk around. You can find big grizzly bears at the top of the mountains, while you only meet crocodiles in the swamps. This variation is important for the diverse and profound feeling of an open world. If the grass is as green everywhere, you will be bored a little faster.

The different regions and associated features stimulate your senses to explore and discover the game's assets. For example, the people you meet are also different, depending on which region you are in. For example, there is a different population in wetlands than in the urban and chic regions of the world. It's also the first time we see a full-fledged city come to life in a Red Dead game. This city is called Saint Denis and the first moment of your entry is at least as memorable as the moment when John Marston entered Mexico

When you are in Saint Denis, you will notice that Rockstar really put everything in artwork. Again, they demonstrate that they are the watchwords when it comes to designing and bringing to life every surface element present in Red Dead Redemption 2. Whether in Streets of the city, outlying areas or just in a small village somewhere in the wasteland, Rockstar knows how to impress with this game. You see details that you did not know possible in the games at all and that leaves the other worlds open far behind. If your order book still contains games in an open world, start by reading them before playing this game. Because everything you play next will be a step backward.

Graphically and Technically, a Miracle

Preaching how fantastic the open world is not only due to the interactions and possibilities this game has to offer. Graphics and technical performance contribute enormously. It is obvious that Rockstar has chosen a style that works very well for a Western game. Everything is described as cinematically as possible. The cut scenes, the way the characters move, the way the conversations unfold … it's like watching a contemporary creation by Sergio Leone. The game also has enough winks to the creations of the past and even contemporary westerns, such as The Hateful Eight of Tarantino. However, the overall gameplay is much slower than what you usually do, for example Grand Theft Auto. It's easy to explain because it's a western and then everything went slower.

This style perfectly matches the game and can be seen everywhere. The way Arthur Morgan walks and moves is calm, determined and assured. It's like he's coming straight from a Marlboro advertisement from the '70s when we see him moving around the world. The physics of this is unprecedentedly realistic and Rockstar has done its best to give the impression that you are watching a movie. The line between movie and games blurs so many times in the game that you can not see it from time to time. In addition, all the cut scenes of the game are dynamic and in real time. No loading time or pre-recorded video is played for a while. Everything happens immediately and it also means that editing scenes will not be exactly the same for anyone. Partly because situations change according to your choices and that you can of course measure other clothes, customize your horse in terms of accessories, etc. In any case, it will go smoothly and, every time we have seen a loading screen, we can only rely on two hands.

But, in general, we really like this game. We've never seen such a nice PS4 open world game before. We played the game on the PS4 Pro, but on the normal PS4, the game still looks fantastic. The game is on PS4 Pro, however, made slightly neater and the light is more beautiful, but otherwise the games are almost identical to each other. The differences are noticeable, but if you do not have these extras from the PS4 Pro, you'll still love the game. The level of graphic detail is incredibly high, but the plot distance may be even more impressive. All in the distance remains clear, there is little texture that appears and the game is almost as beautiful off as close up.

The details are playful, traces of ground horses to little squirrels as you see the tree climb. Everything moves, makes noise and breathes. The models of the characters are also a little less cartoon than what we saw in the first part and it is realism for the best and which puts in the honor the game. The game looks ripe and serious, which makes it an aspect that we can greatly appreciate. Then we still have the light, something we did not know could be so special. When you run around the world at night, people see campfires burn and carry lanterns on their way. This light is extremely clear and blends perfectly into the world.

Or when night falls and you are in Saint-Denis, the city animates old lanterns that illuminate the city. This image is memorable and fantastic to see. It's from those moments when you have a smile on your face and realize that game design can be incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately, all this beauty is not without struggle, because it sometimes happens that there are apparent drops in the game It is not so much that the normal PS4 is more affected than the PS4 Pro and it does not is by definition not very disturbing, as it occurs only from time to time. But we still have to quote it.

The Game

A game can be so beautiful, but most of the time, there is only one main element, namely the gameplay. Rockstar has created a fantastic world, as you say, and it's a world that lends itself extremely well as a backdrop to the exciting and intense story they want to tell. The world is full of variations; this also pushed Rockstar to play and that's what we did very well. However, the base of the game remains the use of your revolver in many shootings that you will encounter while playing. Fortunately, it does not miss stealth missions and of course the necessary gameplay typical of Rockstar.

Without giving too much price, a mission kept us in terms of gameplay. You share the necessary quantities of drinks at one time in a bar to the guests present. In this, you very seriously fulfill your role as bartender and you are fully occupied by your controller and the boss for the payment. So you lift the glass with the left analog stick and the bottle with the right hand to pour it with a rotational movement and put it back in place with the buttons at the shoulder. It sounds simplistic, but at the same time, it's incredibly fun to do, and it surprised us that it worked so well. This type of missions and additional game elements makes it all complete and particularly unique.

Yet the essential elements of the game – as already indicated – are shootings and salvage missions. This last point means that you will often be on the road to pick someone up or pick something up. We know this way of practically playing every match, but it's finally the way something like that makes the game fun or not. Rockstar has put a lot of emphasis on narrative storytelling and the gameplay that the game contains is largely consistent with that, so the recovery missions will never get bored. However, some missions rely too much on a shooting, whereas, in our opinion, it could have been different.

Too many consecutive shootings can give the impression of being stuffed and that does not seem to us the intention. For 98%, the game offers happily varied missions with situations and environments offering more variety than you have ever dreamed. However, there is a small part of the game in which we find the shootings a little too close together, while the balance in the rest of the game is very good. Not very exciting, but still a critical note that we want to give. Some missions have also taken a step back during a shootout, while it was possible to interpret differently, because in any case, the shootings are not lacking. At the same time, it is of course very personal, so maybe you will experience it differently.

We have already hinted that the majority of the game is varied and perfectly suited to the story that Rockstar wants to tell. This is something they have very well assimilated to the gameplay, especially because there are no difficult scenes. After a conversation or event, you seamlessly enter the game, so that you never feel that you are removed from the game. Also keeping small things such as gameplay, such as dynamite placement instead of automatically placing them in an intermediate film, you continue to feel like a player.

Then we have the soundtrack of the game, which we do not want to leave out. It's fantastic and seamlessly connects to almost every scene. Also for the soundtrack applies that it is so good that sometimes you do not even realize that you are playing. It's like you're in a movie where you pull all the strings. All this evokes a magical feeling as it is an unprecedented level. This is the umpteenth fall in a bucket filled with good choices and positive developments that make Red Dead Redemption 2 overflow with revolutionary experiments. This also sets the tone for games that have yet to come out or even be created.